Books Read During August

I started many books in August, as usual. I didn't actually finish many, though!




Chez Moi by Agnes DesartheI enjoyed this quintessentially French novel about charmingly disorganized Myriam who transforms her life by opening a restaurant in Paris. Myriam has led a tough life. Divorced from her cold husband and estranged from her beloved son, she concentrates entirely on her restaurant. She has no time to do anything but sleep and cook at first. Soon her wonderful food attracts customers and helpers. She eventually becomes part of the community but it is a hard journey...

Like most French novels, this is very philosophical and somewhat circular. It's worth reading, however, especially if you want to try out the recipes!

Between Wyomings: My God and an iPod on the Open Road by Ken Mansfield

This is a very moving account of a spiritual journey and an examination of a life. Most people will enjoy this tale about Ken Mansfield’s career and conversion to Christianity. It will appeal to anyone who grew up in the Sixties and Seventies because Mansfield tells many stories about the singers of these decades.

After Grammy-award winning record-producer, Ken Mansfield, is diagnosed with cancer, he and his wife decide to revisit old haunts and come to terms with his successes and failures. He also needs to get rid of ‘baggage’ and finally understand his relationship with God.

The tales of his glamorous musical career and his pilgrimage seem incongruous until the second half of the book when Mansfield compares the peace he has found in Christianity with the money-dominated world of the music industry. Here his writing flows more as he describes the towns and countryside that he visits. They all remind him of his past life.

I enjoyed his anecdotes about his record-producing days and the many famous people who he met during his career, especially those about the Beatles and the Australian group, the Seekers.

This is certainly well-worth reading.

Between Wyomings

The Art History Reading Challenge

I am not getting far with this one! I am reading Hidden in the Shadow of the Master by Ruth Butler about the wives of Cezanne, Monet and Rodin, extremely slowly!

I have finished this now. Ruth Butler has paid these women (who led rather grim lives) in this fascinating book. Hortense, Camille and Rose were their husband's muses and extremely important to their art. They've been let down by art historians in the past - maybe because many of these historians were male.

These women also suffered from poverty, constant separation from their husbands, and infidelity. They faced all this with uncomplaining grace much of the time.

Search For The Latest Menswear At ShopWiki

ShopWiki is a revolutionary new search engine for shopping. It crawls the web for shopping websites and it also includes buying and gift guides. It doesn't only show stores that have paid for placement unlike traditional shopping sites so you can see all the suitable shopping sites.

At Shop Wiki you can seach for the latest menswear. ShopWiki provides you with guides to the latest styles, such as the Men's Fall Style Guide. This shows you where you can find the new menswear fashions for Fall, including the updated white shirt and the turtleneck cashmere jumper.

There is also a Men's Winter Style Guide at ShopWiki which shows men how to stay warm but still look well-dressed. The latest winter styles include pea coats and argyle sweaters.

The latest styles by menswear designers, such as Liz Claiborne and Pierre Cardin, can be found by searching
ShopWiki's men's clothing designers .

Stylish men's suits can also be found at ShopWiki .

Books Read During July

.Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear is an engaging character who works hard to join the middle class and becomes a detective. Her first case involves investigating the mysterious death of a badly injured soldier after World War One.

This was an enjoyable book with lots of interesting philosophy. I especially liked the line that 'coincidence is the messenger of truth'.

My main problem with the book is that I found the ending very unbelievable. Also much more time was devoted to history rather than the actual case. I am going to try the next book in the series soon, however.

Veuve Taylor by Henrietta Taylor

After her husband died Henrietta Taylor became a young widow with two little children. After a terrible time with grief, bouts of drinking, and a difficult court case, she decided to 'escape' to France with her children. She was a former teacher of French so she had no difficulties with the language.

She tells her story in a self-deprecating, charming way in this book. Her problems with drinking and men may shock some, but she's just so likeable that I'm sure that even the most straight-laced would enjoy her tale.

What struck me most was how much happier the children were in France than in Australia, even though they had to learn French. I got the impression that the French are much better at handling and educating children than we are here. I was surpised that they didn't have to do any homework at primary school, even though they had to work very hard at high-school. I agree that children should not have to do homework at primary school. It's very tiring for young children to spend hours at school and then be faced with even more study at home. Why can't they be taught whatever they need to learn during school hours? It obviously agreed with these two!

Gradually Henrietta and her children became healed by the helpful French people, the beauty of the countryside and the mild climate. She had to work pretty hard to achieve this, but the way that she did it is very interesting.

I've got the sequel out of the library and I can't wait to read it!

Diamonds in Disguise by Tessa Barclay

This is the third book in this series about the Royal detective, Gregory Crowne, and his girlfriend, Liz. They're all tightly-plotted, interesting and set in exotic locations.

Gregory Crowne comes from an exiled Royal family and works with musicians. He is also good at solving crimes. Helped by his girlfriend, Liz, he investigates the theft of a Russian icon in this novel set in Italy. This leads to a series of mysterious deaths. Greg and Liz are very engaging characters and it is easy to identify with them.

I will watch out for the next book in this excellent series!

A Relaxing Holiday at Myrtle Beach

Enjoy a relaxing holiday at the beautiful Prince Resort at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina this year. The Myrtle Beach Resort, set on the ocean front provides comfortable and modern rooms in many different sizes. Many have excellent views. All of them have attractive furnishings and spacious bathrooms.

The Myrtle Beach Accommodations also have many other features, such as fine dining, hot tubs, and a quiet river nearby.

There are lots of attractions and activities available at the Myrtle Beach Resorts. These include the historic Cherry Grove Pier, golf and many shopping centres with interesting specialty shops.

The Scandalous Idina Sackville: A Review of The Bolter by Frances Osborne

This is a little bit out of time because Idina was really a 'flapper', but she was born during the Edwardian age and she certainly shared some Edwardian traits! I greatly enjoyed this excellent biography. Here is my review: The Bolter

Books Read During June

I can hardly believe that June is almost over. Time goes so quickly. I haven't finished many books yet. It's probably because I try to read too many at a time!

Up at the Villa by Somerset Maugham

Wealthy and beautiful, Mary is staying at a villa in Florence and thinking of marrying an older man about to be promoted to an excellent position in India. The only problem is that she doesn't love him. Feeling somewhat jaded, Mary longs for an adventure. When a poor young refugee falls in love with her she gets more than she bargained for...

Maugham often writes about rather shallow women who long for more purpose in life. Mary's character is sympathetically drawn and the book is unusually exciting for Maugham. It gives a very different perspective on life from The Purple Veil and it was more fun. However, The Purple Veil was much wiser and the main character was easier to identify with.

Act of Mercy by Peter Tremayne

This is part of a series about Sister Fidelma, an engaging advocate and religeuse in ancient Ireland. She investigates rather gruesome mysteries. These are well-written and the setting and details about ancient Irish law are fascinating. However, there are too many murders in this book and it's somewhat complicated. I do prefer 'cosy' mysteries.

Lina Cavalieri by Paul Fryer and Olga Usova

Lina Cavalieri was an Edwardian opera singer who was once called the most beautiful woman in the world. She led a wonderfully interesting life, transforming herself from a cafe singer to an opera singer who received some good reviews. She sang in Russia and had an affair with a Russian prince. She also married Robert Chandler, a relative of the Astors, and wiped him clean!

This book, however, was rather dull. I didn't really want to know about every performance Cavalieri ever gave and what every critic wrote about her. I wanted to know about the scandals surrounding her and her rivalry with Mary Garden.

Site Of The Week: Julia's Blog

Julia's posts atLoscuadenosdeJulia are always interesting and insightful. Her subjects include Russian literature, social networking and blog posts that she likes. I'm very happy that I found this blog!